


Always Holding Onto Stars

by InanimateEyes



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: Artist Gerard Way, Frerard, M/M, Stars, Teen Frank Iero, Teen Mikey Way, Teen! AU, graveyards, petekey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-09
Updated: 2016-02-09
Packaged: 2018-05-19 08:46:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5961270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InanimateEyes/pseuds/InanimateEyes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The stars are fading and Gerard just wants to hold his one ray of hope close. He did not expect to be caught drawing behind a mausoleum, but this graveyard boy is 10 types of intriguing. Sometimes the best relationships rise out of the oddest consequences.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Always Holding Onto Stars

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry, it's long overdue. I had to put 'Friday I'm in Love' on hold while I wrote this. But I'll update soon.

The stars that settled in New Jerseys sky were hardly ever appreciated. The big mansions that were located in the secluded forest areas, belonged to the superficial beings who were far too concerned with business transactions to notice the bright lights twinkling above. The suburban middle class was blinded by their exhaustion, far too concerned with maintaining their reputations and gardens to appreciate true beauty... 

And of course there was those who were always bordering the poverty line. The privileged citizens of Belleville, New Jersey loved to refer to them as the working class, because they would do anything to provide for their families. These men, women, and children were the only ones who would look to the stars for some type of assurance that beautiful things still existed. But the stars were slowly fading away because of the fake lights, and fading away as well was their hope to ever escape their label. 

Gerard looked to the stars every night, the clandestine meetings giving him the courage to not take a bullet. When he was perched on the roof of the building he regrettably called home, gazing up at the magnificent stars, he felt as if he had somehow fallen into Van Gogh's Starry Night. But every night less and less stars greeted him, and Gerard couldn't help but feel sick with anxiety. The last beautiful thing in this growing city was leaving, and no one would be able to stop them. If he couldn't have the stars, Gerard just wanted something to remember them. 

"Are you sure you wanna do this, Gee?" Mikey asked, his voice soft and unsure from the fear of being scolded again. Supplies for the night were being neatly tucked away in the older Ways messenger bag, and Gerard was almost 100% sure he wouldn't be able to find his art supplies in the mess of Mikey's overly neat tendencies. He was far more comfortable in his mess, the left side of their shared room was enough to prove that. "If you get caught breaking into the cemetery moms going to be so mad. And she'll have to pay the fine and-"

"Mikey, I love you but, shut up." His brother nodded quickly, eyes wide from the mere thought of what his brother was about to do. Just looking into Mikey's eyes made Gerard doubt the mission to capture the stars. He was ever so tempted to tell Mikey he was scared too, but Gerard wasn't entirely sure his 12 year old brother would be able to handle the truth. So just like everything else, Gerard pushed it to the back of his mind. "I'll be back before its time to go to school, I promise. Get some rest." 

"Okay..." His little brother frowned, finally slipping back into bed after packing the last of Gerard's pastels. "Can we frame one of the paintings?" 

"Only if you ace that math test tomorrow, Mikes." A soft sigh of irritation fell from the younger ways lip, and his gaze resembling the look a son would give a father who had just made a horrible attempt at being funny.

"But I always get 100% on my math tests." 

"Then you should have no problem with my challenge." The messenger bag was slung over Gerard's shoulder, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips as Mikey let out another sigh. Gerard placed a kiss on his baby brothers forehead, before giving into the smile. He could already see Mikey lips twitching up to mirror his own, smiles were hard to come by. "Sweet dreams, kid." 

Before Gerard plunged into the dark alley below him, he turned to look back at his bother reassured to see that Mikey was already unconscious and dreaming of a better life. Sometimes living in the run down apartments made you better off than living behind picket fences, Gerard hoped one day his wide eyed brother would come understand that.

•••

Breaking into the cemetery had been the easy part, the only noise had been from the whistle of the wind. The only light was from the brilliant full moon peering down at the restless city. Gerard was comfortably seated and bundled up at the foot of the Anders Mausoleum (he felt like he should recognize that name, but he was far too tired to care). His overflowing bag was tucked by his side, a battery powered lamp resting by his head so he would actually be able to draw. Overall the setting was way more peaceful than his niche at the roof of their apartment. The fact that dead people were resting just a few walls behind his head wasn't as unsettling as he had worried. Maybe he would come back here every night until the stars made their last appearance...

"Hey-! what the fuck are you doing here!?" Panic gripped at Gerard's chest as the figure of a man came into view. He tried to quickly grab all his things, the sketch was only half completed, but now wasn't the time. If he was taken into custody, the Way family would have to pay the fine which would result in a lack of rent money. He couldn't do that to Mikey, or his parents who worked so hard to keep the family afloat. Gerard let out a soft squeak as a firm hand wrapped around his wrist, he was fucking done for. 

"Please, I-I'm sorry. Don't call the cops- please!" Gerard turned away from his captor, only 16 years old and already facing a mark on his permanent record. 

"What are you doing here? Can't you read!?" His hazel eyes hesitantly flickered up to meet the fierce green eyes that matched the gruff voice. 

"I-I'm sorry, sir." He found himself mumbling, losing his ounce of courage and instantly dropping his eye contact. The green grass beneath his feet suddenly became fascinating. "I was just trying to paint the stars."

The hardened expression on the mans face softened at the mere mention of the stars, the death grip he had on Gerard's hand released. "The stars...?" The man looked up above as if the twinkling lights were eavesdropping on their conversation. If he hadn't been so shocked and touched by the sincerity in the mans voice Gerard would've run, but no, he glanced up at the man with green eyes just in time to catch a small smile. "I'm Frank- Frank Iero, I help my mom run the cemetery."

It was as if the veil had suddenly been lifted, because the illusion of a man melted away and an excited boy with bright green eyes was helping Gerard up from his cowering position on the floor. "Gerard Way, art enthusiast." A smile formed on the cemetery boys lips, Gerard could've sworn his heart missed a beat. 

"Well, Gerard, next time you break into a cemetery. I suggest you don't bring an LED lamp, I saw it from my room and that's quite far from here."

"I'll keep that in mind," Gerard blushed, moving to turn off his lamp and collect the few things he had missed in attempt to flee. 

"You're not going to finish?" Frank look crestfallen, he bent down and carefully touched Gerard's wrist, a bruise was clearly forming on the pale skin. "I'm sorry, we got off to a bad-" Frank grimaced at the understatement, but Gerard didn't mind as long as he wasn't sent to jail tonight. "A bad start. Just finish. Okay?"

Gerard contemplated the offer, here was his chance, he had permission from the groundskeeper and he was going to throw it all away. The stars deserved better, besides graveyard boy was cute. "Okay." 

The next ten minutes was spent attempting to recreate the nook Gerard had destroyed in his hurried movements, leaving himself little room to cause intentionally unintentional brushes of Frank's fingers along the inside of Gerard's wrists. Smiling in such a nonchalant manner that Gerard could feel the questions of 'What if he likes me?' ''Why do I like him?!?' and his minds personal favorite 'Oh god, why he so cute?' building up inside his mind, causing him to blush every time Frank carefully bumped him. "Do you mind if I keep you company tonight?" 

"No- I don't mind!" Gerard turned crimson, but nonetheless sat down, gathering his favorite outlining pencil and the large sketchbook he had been using. "By the way, thank you. For letting me finish."

"Any time, Gerard." Frank smiled before relaxing on the Way brothers favorite Star Wars blanket (It had a bunch of little Chewies and Hans all over it, what's not to love?). Not caring that it probably reeked of cigarettes and coffee, two of Gerard's favorite things. 

•••

As the sun started to rise, Gerard felt himself slipping off, his fingers were stained a dusty black from the hour he had spent perfecting a charcoal sketch of the North Star just above his head and he was quite sure that the Frank sleeping next to him had upset the cup of water he had used during his watercolor masterpiece. The dinged black wristwatch went off with his 6:05 alarm, signaling that it was about time to get up or both he and Mikey would be late for school. 

"Frank," Gerard whispered, his pale hands hesitantly shaking the boy awake. And he really was a boy, at some point in the night- just before Frank fallen asleep he had admitted that he was only 15. Just a few years older than Mikey and a year younger than Gerard himself. "I have to go to school." 

Frank, groaned and moved closer to Gerard's soft sleep deprived voice, the older could have died from the low raspy voice that mumbled in response. "Don't wanna take that stupid test today." Okay, so maybe the context of the sentence had ruined Gerard little moment of excitement, but he still wished he could hear it everyday. 

"C'mon, at least go back to your bed." Gerard frowned, poking at Frank's side hoping to jostle him off the blanket. Mikey would never forgive him for losing their favorite blanket, he'd probably force Gerard to buy another one. And really, Gerard would not look forward to that trip to Target.

"Just meet me here tonight," Frank lips twitched upward in a sleepy smirk. He cuddled further into the blanket in hopes that Gerard wouldn't catch on and demand the fluffy savior back. "I just wanna nap."

The second wave of Gerard's alarm came through, notifying him that he would definitely be late if he did not haul ass to get home and change. "Fine, I'll be back tonight to pick it up. But please leave the gate unlocked. I nearly fell over trying to get in last night."

"Noted," The smirk was becoming more and more noticeable. "I'll bring food, and this time lets call it a date."

"O-Okay," Gerard grinned, swinging his bag over his shoulder, far too worried about making Mikey late to really feel the excitement and anxiety settling in. 

•••

"I thought you said you'd be home before we had to go to school," Mikey grumbled from his seat on the apartment steps, Gerard's backpack dutifully sitting next to his own. Gerard quickly pushed his bag inside their flat before grabbing the cup of coffee next to his backpack. 

"I know, I'm sorry but I passed out over there- and," he could feel himself blushing, and as much as he loved to be informed about his younger brothers love life. Which currently revolved around the 'cool' bassist Pete Wentz, the new boy in their class who seemed to have an obsession with Mikey and metaphors. Needless to say Gerard had said he needed to meet the kid before giving them the okay to date, much to Mikey's irritation. But he didn't want to gush about Frank, the graveyard boy, to his little brother. "And I know that you probably hate me right now but I love you, so have a great day at school." 

With a kiss on the top of his head, much to Mikey's embarrassment, sent him off into Middle School where a boy that had to be Pete instantly joined him. Gerard, would just have to pretend he didn't see the kiss that had been shared between them.

"Ugh, great now I gotta give him the sex talk." Gerard mumbled to himself, before walking to his own personal hell that everyone called High School. 

•••

Nine hours later, and Gerard could practically feel his heart beating a panicked rhythm against his chest. He was rested against the same mausoleum, gazing out at the sunset that seemed morbidly perfect from the top of the cemetery hill. Gerard checked his watch for what seemed like the millionth time (it had only been thrice in reality), waiting for Frank to show up at his own cemetery. 

Fear clawed at Gerard's insides, the phantom pains feeling too real and forcing him to sit. The graveyard suddenly seemed far less appealing in the sunset glow that it had last night amongst the silver stars. 

"Hey, you're still here." Frank grinned, plopping down next to Gerard in what had to be the most cartoonish way imaginable. "Sorry I got detention." A nonchalant shrug kept Gerard from worrying too much in the moment. If things went as well as they both hoped, there would be time for worrying later.

"Yea, of course." Gerard smiled, tugging the blanket out of Frank's hands. A soft content hum slipped free as Gerard have the blanket a sniff to find that the normal stench had been replaced with a vanilla detergent scent. He leaned over and rested his head on Frank's shoulder. 

A smile entirely changed the otherwise grim facade Frank put on to face the world that existed outside the graveyard. "I saw you at school today-" a tinge of pink could be seen settling on Gerard's prominent cheek bones as Gerard tried to comprehend 1) that he and Frank went to the same High School and 2) that Frank had seen the 50 Shades of Laziness that was otherwise known as Gerard Way. "And then it hit me, that you're Gee. Gee Way, that Ray keeps trying to hook me up with."

"Really?" Gerard blushes bright red, he'd never even heard of the graveyard boy (it had to be an aesthetic, right?). Honestly, Gerard was pissed that Ray had been holding out on Frank's name for so long. 

"Really," Frank smiled, his arm resting around Gerard's waist as the last of the Suns rays disappeared and the stars slipped back into view with the Cheshire Smile moon hanging high above. A devilish smile curled Frank's lips up, before he turned and caught a sleep deprived Gerard of guard. Frank's lips soft and gentle compared to his calloused over worked hands. Gerard didn't even have time to get embarrassed by his own chapped lips, because Frank pulled away from the feathery touch. That grin still plastered on his face, Gerard found it endearing rather than malicious. But when it came to Frank the two adjectives went hand in hand. 

Relaxing against the side of my the mausoleum, Frank kept his hand on the curve of Gerard's side, never demanding more than that as they silently watched they watched the stars twinkle brilliantly in the sky. 

So, maybe they were fading from the glow of the city lights, but the boy with the emerald green eyes and pictures inked with pen along his hand was sitting right next to him. Sitting right next to him as Gerard admired the last of the stars, so maybe just this once the stars had reached back and given him this boy. This wonderful boy to cling to, while the rest of the world lost their individuality.

**Author's Note:**

> Leave comments, kudos, and subscribe! I hope you liked it, if you want to suggest a plot either comment below or send it to me via tumblr inanimateeyes


End file.
